The Dengler Award honoree 2010 will be Kay Berthold Frishman Executive Director of Family Service, Inc of Lawrence, MA.

Photograph: Karen Herman, 2010

The Lawrence History Center, founded in 1978 by the indomitable Eartha Dengler as the Immigrant City Archives, has worked from its very first days to make accessible the rich history of Lawrence and its people. For 12 years the Center has spotlighted the efforts and accomplishments of many people, past and present, who have worked to bring development, prosperity and quality of life to Lawrence.

The History Center honors Kay as a leader... a builder... a preservationist... an artist -- and a tireless and committed advocate for Lawrence and its people. Born to parents who were “people of service,” Kay has lived her life in the same spirit.

She has built Family Service, Inc. into one of the city’s most important providers of services to strengthen families. She has helped to build and lead a cohort of agency directors who work together to strengthen the broader social fabric of our city. And as a lover and painter of the Merrimack and its vistas, she has captured the vibrancy of our city in her own work, and won her persistent battle to preserve the city’s most iconic vista -- the view of the dam from Falls Bridge -- for future generations to enjoy.